Apparatus for backing tufted carpet

ABSTRACT

TUFTED CARPETS ARE BACKED BY APPLYING ADHESIVE TO THE BACK OF THE CARPET WHILE THE CARPET BACK IS IN A CONVEX CONFIGURATION AND APPLYING THE BACKING MATERIAL. TUFTED CARPETS ARE ALSO BACKED BY APPLYING THE ADHESIVE WHILE THE CARPET BACK IS STRAIGHT OR IN A CONVEX CONFIGURATION, THEN APPLYING THE ACTION OF A DOCTOR BLADE AT A POINT WHERE THE ADHESIVE-BEARING CARPET BACK IS IN A CONVEX COCONFIGURATION AND APPLYING THE ADHESIVE BY EXTRUDING THE ADTHER BACKED BY APPLYING THE ADHESIVE BY EXTRUDING THE ADHESIVE INTO THE CARPET BACK AND APPLYING THE BACKING AMTERIAL. THIS ADHESIVE EXTRUSION MAY BE COMBINED WITH EITHER OR BOTH OF THE ABOVE METHODS. APPARATUS IS DISCLOSED FOR EACH METHOD.

y 14, 1974 o. R. JACKSON ETAL 3,810,807

APPARATUS FOR BACKING TUFTED CARPET Original Filed Jan. 5,' 1970 ATTORNEY United States Patent Ofii 3,810,807 Patented May 14, 1974 3,810,807 APPARATUS FOR BACKING TUFTED CARPET Obie R. Jackson, Dalton, Ga., George R. Olson, Minnetonka, Minn., and Robert B. Putney, Kensington, Ga., assignors to Ashland Oil, Inc., Columbus, Ohio, and E. T. Barwick Mills, Inc., Chamble, and B & J Machinery Company, Inc., Dalton, Ga.

Original application Jan. 5, 1970, Ser. No. 600, now abandoned. Divided and this application Feb. 14, 1972, Ser. No. 225,759

Int. Cl. 1329c 13/00 US. Cl. 156-381 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE Tufted carpets are backed by applying adhesive to the back of the carpet while the carpet back is in a convex configuration and applying the backing material. Tufted carpets are also backed by applying the adhesive while the carpet back is straight or in a convex configuration, then applying the action of a doctor blade at a point where the adhesive-bearing carpet back is in a convex configuration and applying the backing material. Tufted carpets are further backed by applying the adhesive by extruding the adhesive into the carpet back and applying the backing material. This adhesive extrusion may be combined with either or both of the above methods. Apparatus is disclosed for each method.

This is a division of application Ser. No. 600 filed, Jan. 5, 1970, now abandoned.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION This invention relates to tufted carpets and in particular to improved methods and apparatus for applying backing to tufted carpets.

Tufted carpets are composite structures in which the yarn forming the pile, i.e., the surface of the carpet, is needled through a base fabric whereby the base of each tuft extends through the base fabric and is visible on the bottom surface. Tufted carpets are generally of two types, the first being the type commonly known as a nap carpet where the yarn loops are formed by needling or punching a continuous yarn just through the base fabric, thus forming the base of the carpet, while the tops of the loops are generally /4 inch to 1% inches long, thus forming the wearing surface of the carpet. The second type of tufted carpet, commonly known as a shag carpet, has the same base as the nap carpet but the tops of the loops have been split or the tips of the loops have been cut off. The surface of the shag carpet is thus formed by the open ends of numerous U-shaped pieces of yarn-the base of the U being embedded in the base fabric.

The loops of yarn are needled through and embedded in the base fabric (the combination of which is the raw tufted carpet) thus forming the tuft base, which must be secured to the base fabric to prevent the loops from being pulled out of the base fabric. The tuft bases are generally secured by applying an adhesive to the back of the raw tufted carpet to bond the tuft bases to the base fabric. A backing material is usually also applied to the back of the raw tufted carpet and bonded thereto with the same adhesive that bonds the yarn to the base fabric. The application of the backing material futher secures the loops of yarn since the loops of yarn are then bonded by the adhesive to the backing material as Well as the base fabric.

The yarn used in forming the pile of a tufted carpet can be made of any type of fiber known in the art to be useful for tufted carpets, e.g., nylon, acrylics, wool, cotton, rayon and the like.

The base fabric may be of any type known in the art and may be woven, e.g., woven jute, woven slit polypropylene film, burlap, and the like, or may be non-woven fabric, e.g., needle punched, non-woven polypropylene web. Likewise, the backing material may be of any type known in the art, e.g., Woven jute, woven slit polypr0- pylene film, burlap, foam materials such as polyurethane foams or blown vinyl foam, and non-woven fabrics such as needle punched, non-woven polypropylene web.

The adhesive used to securely bond the yarn loops in the base of the carpet may be latex, which has been the conventional adhesive for several years; thermoplastic, polymeric adhesives (commonly known as hot melt adhesives), such as described in US. Pat. No. 3,390,035 issued to Sands; or thermosetting adhesives, such as conventional urethanes, blocked polyurethanes and styrenebutadiene material containing a vulcanizing agent.

In backing a tufted carpet there are two main things which must be accomplished. First, the individual yarn loops or tufts must be bonded securely enough to the base fabric and the backing material so that the loops cannot be pulled out of the base fabric under severe carpet usage. This is a problem in both nap and shag carpets but is particularly a problem with the nap type carpet because the longer loops comprising the surface of the carpet may be hooked, for example by sharp protrusions on carpet cleaning machines or by shoe-heel nails, and pulled out of the base fabric. While shag type carpets do not present this problem to such a degree, the individual U-shaped yarn tufts must nevertheless be attached securely enough in the base fabric to withstand the pull of carpet cleaning and shampooing machines. Second, the individual filaments that make up the yarn must be securely bonded in the base of the carpet. If the individual filaments in each yarn tuft are not bonded in the base of the carpet, pilling and frizzing of the carpet will occur due to the individual filaments working partway out of the yarn. Of course, the filaments may even come completely out of the yarn resulting in the carpet fuzzing or linting. While this is a problem in all tufted carpets, it is particularly a prob lem in the shag type carpet due to the fact that each U- shaped yarn tuft is made up of many U-shaped filaments twisted to form the yarn. The adhesive may coat the surface of each yarn tuft and securely bond the tuft as a whole in the base, but leave the filaments located at the core of the yarn tuft unbonded and free to move or slide within the yarn tuft. Thus, those unbonded filaments are, especially in the shag type carpet, eventually displaced and extend from the surface of the carpet causing pilling and frizzing or completely separated from the surface of the carpet causing fuzzing and liming? Generally the yarn loops or tufts will be securely bonded in the base of the carpet when good bundle wrap is obtained with the adhesive. Likewise, the individual filaments will be securely bonded when good bundle penetration is obtained with the adhesive. The bundle wrap and penetration obtained with the adhesive depend to some extent, of course, on the properties of the adhesive but depend primarily upon the apparatus used and the manner in which the adhesive and backing material are applied to the back of the raw tufted carpet.

THE PRIOR ART In general, backing a tufted carpet involves the steps of applying the adhesive, applying the backing material and curing or setting the adhesive. The nature of the last step depends upon the type of adhesive used: latex requires extended and careful drying at elevated temperatures; hot melt adhesives require cooling; and thermosetting adhesives require heating followed by cooling. The backing material is usually applied by pressing the backing material to the back of the raw tufted carpet after the adhesive has been applied.

With respect to preventing the above problems of tuft pull-out and movements or loss of filaments, the step of applying the adhesive is the most important. The prior art methods and apparatus for applying the adhesive do not provide adequate bundle wrap and pentration by the adhesive to prevent those problems, particularly when the adhesive contains a high level of filler material. One common prior art method, illustrated in US. Pat. No. 3,414,458 issued to Lacy, involves passing the back of the raw tufted carpet in contact with a roller, the bottom of which is running in liquid adhesive. The roller picks up a film of adhesive at the bottom and deposits it on the carpet at the top. The carpet is then usually passed over a doctor blade which spreads the adhesive evenly before the backing material is applied. This method is sometimes modified to utilize adhesive in pellet form by using a heated roller. The adhesive pellets will stick to the surface of the roller and melt, thus forming a film on the roller before the point of contact with the carpet. Another method well known in the prior art involves inverting the raw tufted carpet and applying the liquid adhesive to the back of the carpet and spreading the adhesive evenly with a doctor blade before applying the backing material. This method is sometimes reversed in that the adhesive is applied to the backing material which is in turn applied to the back of the raw tufted carpet. This method is sometimes further modified when uisng thermoplastic or thermosetting adhesive by distributing flakes of the adhesive on the back of the carpet or on the backing material, passing it through a heating zone to melt the adhesive, then pressing the carpet and backing material together.

All of these and other known methods of applying the adhesive in backing tufted carpets have been found ineffective in producing sufiicient bundle wrap and bundle penetration by the adhesive to prevent tuft pull-out and movement or loss of filaments.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The inventors have found that superior bonding of the tufts in the base fabric and of the filaments in the yarn tufts is obtained by breaking the raw tufted carpet when the adhesive is applied thereto, i.e., the back of the raw tufted carpet is placed in a convex configuration at the point the adhesive is applied. Breaking means passing the carpet along an arcuate path.

The inventors have also found that as an alternative to the above, the superior bonding can also be obtained by breaking the raw tufted carpet after the adhesive has been deposited thereon and applying the action of a doctor blade at the point of breaking. It is of course clear that this alternative may be practiced separately or simultaneously with the breaking at the point of adhesive application.

As a second alternative to the above, the inventors have further found that the superior bonding can be obtained by extruding the adhesive into the back of the raw tufted carpet, i.e., by placing the face of the extrusion head adjacent to the carpet passing by the head the adhesive emerging from the extrusion head is forced into the back of raw tufted carpet and down to the base fabric. The adhesive thus surrounds and penetrates the base of each tuft extending through the base fabric. A preferred aspect of this alternative is that the adhesive is extruded as continual, individual small streams. This preferred aspect is particularly suited for extruding small streams of adhesive between the rows of tuft bases, thus providing a more economical operation because less adhesive can be used. A second preferred aspect of this alternative is that the velocity of the adhesive as it leaves the extrusion head be greater than the velocity of the carpet passing the head, thus more efiiciently forcing the adhesive into the back of the raw tufted carpet. It is clear, of course, that these two preferred embodiments may be practiced separately or simultaneously.

The inventors have finally found that the very best bonding is obtained when the adhesive extrusion method described in the above paragraph is combined with either or both of the above described methods of breaking the carpet during application of the adhesive.

DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION AND DRAWINGS The broad concepts of the present invention may be better understood by reference to the drawing which illustrate some specific configurations which may be used to practice the invention.

FIG. 1 illustrates the method and apparatus for breaking the raw tufted carpet at the point where the adhesive is applied. The raw tufted carpet 2 is advanced from roll 1 past breaker roller 3 where the adhesive is applied by applicator 4 from adhesive reservoir 5. The carpet with the adhesive on the back thereof then passes doctor blade 7, which spreads and evenly distributes any excess accumulation of adhesive, and roller 10 at which point the backing material 8, advanced from roll 9, is contacted with the back of the raw tufted carpet and the adhesive thereon. The backed carpet 11 then passes rollers 12 which press the backed carpet to assure good contact of the backing material, raw tufted carpet back and adhesive. The carpet is then passed through treating zone 13, where the adhesive is cured or set, and finally wound on roll 14.

FIG. 2 illustrates the first alternative method of obtaining superior bonding according to this invention which comprises the method and apparatus for breaking the carpet after the adhesive is applied. The raw tufted carpet 22 is fed from roll 21 past the adhesive applicator 24 which deposits the adhesive from resevoir 25 on the back of the raw tufted carpet 22. The carpet with the adhesive thereon is then passed over breaker roller 23 at which point doctor blade 26 evenly spreads any excess adhesive. The carpet then passes rollers 29 Where the back of the carpet with the adhesive thereon is contacted with backing material 27 supplied from roll 28. The backed carpet 30 then passes through treating zone 31 where the adhesive is cured or set, then to take-up roll 32.

At the point of breaking the carpet (rollers 3 and 23 in the drawing) the radius of curvature of the back of the raw tufted carpet should be small enough to provide a spreading apart of the tuft bases extending through the base fabric. The adhesive when applied or distributed with the doctor blade at the point of breaking can thus flow more easily between the tufts and flow more easily around the tufts down to and onto the base fabric, which produces the superior tuft bonding. As illustrated in the drawing, during processing the carpet is inherently straightened immediately following the breaking. When the carpet is straightened the tuft bases move closer together or back to their normal relative spacing after being spread apart by the breaking. When the tuft bases move closer together as the carpet is straightened the adhesive surrounding the tuft bases is compressed and forced into, i.e., penetrates, the yarn at the tuft base. This penetration by the adhesive of the yarn produces the superior filament bonding in the tuft base. In general, sufiicient tuft base separation is obtained when the carpet is broken along a radius of curvature of up to about 4 inches or greater, depending upon the type of carpet. Preferably the radius of curvature should range from about one inch to about 3 inches and most preferably from about 1 inch to about 2 inches.

It will of course be clear to one of ordinary skill in the art that various means may be used to break the carpet. While the drawing illustrates a breaker roller, a breaker bar or other configuration could be used. It is further pointed out that it is not necessary that there be a support such as a roller or bar under the carpet at the point of breaking. The carpet may, for example, be broken by forcing the carpet to loop or buckle, producing a profile similar to the letter omega (S2), thus producing the desired breaking without a support at the point of breaking.

In general a convenient angle of breaking (angle A in FIG. 1) will be somewhere in the neighborhood of 90*". However, the angle may be as large an angle as a particular apparatus is capable of producing (180 or even greater, e.g., in the case of the unsupported breaking referred to in the preceding paragraph) or may be as small an angle as will produce the length of tuft separation necessary for proper adhesive flow and penetration. Preferably the angle of breaking should range from about 30 to about 150 and most preferably from about 45 to about 135.

It will also be clear to one of ordinary skill in the art that the adhesive applicator in FIGS. 1 and 2 may be of any type, e.g., force feed or gravity flow, which is capable gf sllclpplying the required amount of adhesive to the carpet FIG. 3 of the drawing illustrates the second alternative method of obtaining superior bonding according to this invention which comprises extruding the adhesive into the back of the raw tufted carpet. The raw tufted carpet 41 fed from roll 42 is passed over roller 43, then under and adjacent to extruder head 44. The adhesive from reservoir 46 is forced by extruder 45 through extruder head 44 into the back of the raw tufted carpet 41 as it passes by the extruder head. The carpet then passes doctor blade 47 which evenly distributes any excess adhesive that may be present and rollers 48 at which point backing material 49 fed from roll 50 is applied to the carpet. The backed carpet 51 then passes through treating zone 52 where the adhesive is cured or set and finally to take-up roll 53. While extruder 45 should preferably be a continual extruder, i.e., produce an unbroken stream of adhesive from head 44, a pulsating extruder could be used provided it delivered sufiicient adhesive to the carpet back. The extruder head may be of any suitable configuration known in the prior art that produces a film, ribbons, strips, wedges, etc., of adhesive.

A preferred aspect of this second alternative method of practicing the present invention comprises extruding the adhesive as numerous ribons 0r strips. FIG. 3A is a section view of FIG. 3 and illustrates a particularly adapted method of practicing this preferred aspect of the invention. In

FIG. 3A the adhesive 62 is forced by extruder screw 61 of extruder through head 44 and out the numerous orifices 63 thus forming ribbons 64 of adhesive. The raw tufted carpet 41 is a nap type carpet (moving away from the viewer in this section view) formed of a nonwoven base fabric 65, such as needle punched, non-woven polypropylene web, and yarn 66 which has been needled or punched through the base fabric 65 to form the tuft bases 67. The single yarn 66 shown in FIG. 3A is but one of many traversing the Width of carpet 41 and forming rows of tuft bases 67 down the length of carpet 41. Extruder head 44 is positioned so that the tips of tuft bases 67 just lightly brush the face of the head and positioned such that adhesive ribbons 64 are deposited between the rows of tuft bases. This is accomplished by using an extruder head having orifices 63 spaced the same distance apart as are the tuft bases 67.

A second preferred aspect of this second alternative method of practicing the present invention relates to the relative velocities of the passing carpet and the adhesive leaving the extruder head orifices. In general, the inventors have found that the velocity of the adhesive, illustrated as v in FIG. 3A, should preferably be equal to or greater than the velocity of the raw tufted carpet, illustrated as v in FIG. 3. The velocity, v of the carpet 41 normally ranges from about 12 ft./rnin. to about ft./ min., or higher, with the preferred velocity being from about 20 ft./min. to about 40 ft./min. In a backing operation tufted carpets are usually processed at about 15 to 30 ft./min. The velocity of the adhesive, 1 leaving orifice 63 may range from 1.0 to about 5 times the velocity of the carpet 41. Preferably the adhesive velocity, 1 should range from about 1.5 to about 3 times the carpet velocity, v and most preferably about 1.5 to about 2.5 times.

As stated in the above summary, the inventors have found that the very best tuft and filament bonding is achieved when the above described extrusion of the adhesive is combined with either or both methods of breaking the carpet during adhesive application. Thus, the adhesive extruder 45, head 44 and reservoir 46 in FIG. 3 could replace adhesive applicator 4 and reservoir 5 in FIG. 1 (or 24 and 25 in FIG. 2).

The location of extruder head 44 is important in the practice of the present invention. The face of the head should be adjacent to the back of the passing raw tufted carpet. If the head is some distance from the back of the passing carpet, the extruded adhesive will simply be deposited on the surface of the back of the carpet rather than being forced into and around the tuft bases and down to the base fabric. The extruder head may be positioned in such a manner that it is in heavy contact with and actually exerts pressure on the passing carpet. Although the present invention may be practiced in this manner it is, however, generally undesirable because the abrasive action of the back of the raw tufted carpet rubbing across the extruder head will quickly wear off the surface of the head. The preferred position of the head is such that face of the head is just adjacent to the back of the carpet, i.e., the passing carpet should just lightly brush the face of the head.

The amount of adhesive applied to the carpet depends on the type and composition of the adhesive, the type and weight of the carpet, the type of backing material and the method of applying the adhesive. The amount of adhesive applied should be sufficient to provide adequate bundle wrap and bundle penetration for good tuft and filament bonding in the carpet back. Generally, adhesives are applied to tufted carpets in amounts ranging from about 15 oz./yd. to about 30 oz./yd. or higher. When practicing the present invention, any amount in the above range may be used, but about 20 oz./y.d. is usually used, depending on the strength of the bonding desired. The adhesives may of course contain fillers of either the extending or pigmenting kind well known in the art. Common extending fillers are barium sulfate, calcium carbonate, talc, clay, silica, walnut shell flour and the like. Common pigmenting fillers are calcium carbonate, clay, silica and the like. Fillers are generally present in a fillerto-adhesive weight ratio of from 0 to '4: 1, depending again on the type of adhesive. The adhesive may also contain other additives well known in the art, such as antioxidants, plasticizers, viscosity adjusting agents and the like.

Curing or setting the adhesive may be accomplished in the treating zone in any manner known in the art for the particular adhesive used. Latex adhesives are normally cured by moderate prolonged heating to remove the water content. Thermoplastic adhesives are usually set by simple cooling, while thermoset adhesives require an initial heating (to cross-link or polymerize the resin) followed by cooling.

The doctor blade (7, 26 and 47 in FIGS. 1, 2, and 3, respectively) may be cooled, e.g., by air or water; left at ambient temperature; or heated, e.g., by steam, electricity or flame. The temperature of the doctor blade will depend on the adhesive used and the result desired, as will be apparent to one skilled in the art.

While all the figures in the drawing illustrate the raw tufted carpet being fed from a roll, it will be clear to one skilled in the art that the carpet may be fed in numerous ways, e.g., in individual flat sections or directly from the tufting operation, thus eliminating the need for intermediate storage of the raw tufted carpet. Likewise, the carpet may be pre-treated or post-treated in any manner necessary for the particular carpet involved, e.g., preor post-sizing such as in tenter frame, steam conditioning to preserve or enhance dying characteristics, and the like.

The following examples illustrate specific embodiments of the broad invention.

EXAMPLE 1 The apparatus illustrated in FIG. 1 is used in this example. The apparatus is adapted to hold raw tufted carpet supply roll 1 of a size feet in width and 100 feet in length. Breaker roller 3 is 2 inches in diameter thus providing a radius of curvature for the back of the carpet across the breaker roller of approximately 1 /2 inches (including the thickness of the carpet). Angle A is 90 and applicator 4 is a gravity flow type which applies a film of adhesive. Doctor blade 7 is rotatably mounted at the top and can be adjusted to exert any degree of pressure on the carpeet back. Rollers 12 press the backing material to the adhesive coated carpet back. Treating zone 13 is a chamber 120 feet in length of variable intensity infrared lights. Take-up roll 14 is driven by a variable speed electric motor to provide for any processing speed desired and to keep the backed carpet taut through the treating zone 13.

The carpet is a nap carpet composed of a burlap base fabric weighing about 16 oz./yd. and tufted with about 30 oz./yd. of bulked continuous filament nylon carpet yarn which is needled into the base fabric at 8 needles per inch across the width of the base fabric and about 7 latex 100 Tetrasodium' pyrophosphate (dispersing agent) 0.25 Calcium carbonate (extender) 200 Sodium polyacrylate (thickener) 0.8 Water 142 The adhesive has a viscosity of about 8000 centipoises at room temperature and is applied at a level of 25 oz./ yd. The carpet is processed at between 15 and ft./min. and dried at a temperature of 130 C.

This example produces a tufted carpet requiring on the average a pull of 10 to 12 pounds to pull one of the tuft loops out of the base fabric, evidencing excellent bundle wrap by the adhesive.

EXAMPLE 2 The apparatus for this example is the same as that used in Example 1 except for the following changes: (1) an adhesive extruder and a film extrusion head such as and 44 of FIG. 3 are substituted for applicator 4; (2) doctor blade 7 is electrically heated; and (3) treating zone 13 is a forced-air cooling tunnel 10 feet in length.

The raw tufted carpet and backing material are the same as in Example 1.

The adhesive in this example is a hot-melt adhesive defined in Example 5 of U.S. Pat. No. 3,390,035 and has the following composition:

Parts (wt.)

Ethylene copolymer 14.0

Microcrystalline petroleum wax, M.P. 170-175 F. 17.4

Rosin 383 Barium sulfate filler 30.0 Stabilizer (Ionol 6-685; 2,4,6-tritertiarybutylphenol) The ethylene copolymer is a 67:33 copolymer of ethylene and vinyl acetate having an inherent viscosity of 0.78 (0.26% in toluene at 86 F.), a melt index of 26 (ASTM-D123857T), and a softening point of 243 F. (ring and ball). This adhesive has a viscosity of about 3000 centipoises at 335 F.

The adhesive is applied to the carpet back at 335 F. at a level of 20 oz./yd. The doctor blade is also heated to 335 F. to keep the adhesive in a molten state until it enters cooling zone 13. The carpet is processed at a speed of 30 ft./sec. and cooled to a temperature of F. before being wound on take-up roll 14.

This example produces a tufted carpet requiring a pull of 23 pounds to pull one of the tuft loops out of the base fabric.

EXAMPLE 3 In this example the apparatus is the same as in Example 2 except the extrusion head is of a strip extruder type illustrated in FIG. 3A, having orifices of .040 inch diameter spaced 8 orifices per inch.

The adhesive is the same as Example 2 and the carpet is the same except the carpet of this example has the surface tuft loops split and is thus a shag type tufted carpet. The backing material in this example is a needle punched, non-woven polypropylene web sold under the trademark Typar by Du Pont.

The carpet is processed at the speed of 30 ft./ min. and the adhesive applied at 335 F. The extrusion head is adjusted in accordance with FIG. 3A, i.e., each strip of adhesive is forced between two rows of tuft bases. The velocity of the adhesive leaving the orifice is about 2 times the velocity of the passing carpet or approximately 60 ft./min. The backed carpet is cooled as in Example 2.

This example produces a carpet requiring 23 pounds of pull to pull one tuft base out of the base fabric. In addition, all filaments in each shag tuft are securely bonded in the tuft base, evidencing excellent bundle penetration by the adhesive.

We claim:

1. Apparatus for backing raw tufted carpet, comprising:

a carpet receiving opening extending the length of the apparatus;

means for advancing raw tufted carpet through the carpet receiving opening;

means in the first part of the carpet receiving opening for breaking the advancing raw tufted carpet thereby placing the back of the raw tufted carpet in a convex configuration;

an adhesive applicator positioned opposite the breaking means whereby the carpet passes between the breaking means and the applicator for applying adhesive to the back of the raw tufted carpet at that point;

means in contact with the back of the raw tufted carpet in a second part of the carpet receiving opening for evenly distributing any excess adhesive on the adhesive-bearing carpet;

means in a third part of the carpet receiving opening for applying backing material to the adhesive-bearing side of the carpet thus forming a backed tufted carpet; and

means for treating the backed tufted carpet in the latter part of the carpet receiving opening to set the adhesive.

2. Apparatus for backing raw tufted carpet according to claim 1, wherein the adhesive applicator comprises:

an extruder for forcing adhesive into the back of the raw tufted carpet; and

an extrusion head attached to the extruder for guiding the adhesive into the back of the raw tufted carpet with the face of the extrusion head from which the adhesive emerges positioned adjacent to the back of the passing raw tufted carpet.

3. Apparatus for backing raw tufted carpet according to claim 2, wherein the face of the extrusion head contains a continuous slit for extruding a continuous film of adhesive.

4. Apparatus for backing raw tufted carpet according to claim 2 wherein the face of the extrusion head contains a series of orifices for extruding continuous strips of adhesive.

5. Apparatus for backing raw tufted carpet according to claim 4 wherein the orifices are spaced on centers corresponding to the spacing of the centers of the rows of tuft bases in the raw tufted carpet being processed.

6. Apparatus for backing raw tufted carpet, comprismg:

a carpet receiving opening extending the length of the apparatus;

an adhesive applicator positioned in the first part of the carpet receiving opening for applying adhesive to the back of the raw tufted carpet;

means in the second part of the carpet receiving opening for breaking the advancing raw tufted carpet thereby placing the back of the raw tufted carpet in a convex configuration;

means in contact with the back of the raw tufted carpet for evenly distributing the adhesive on the adhesivebearing side of the carpet which means is positioned opposite the breaking means whereby the carpet passes between the breaking means and means for distributing the adhesive;

means in a third part of the carpet receiving opening for applying backing material to the adhesive-bearing side of the carpet thus forming a backed tufted carpet; and

means for treating the backed tufted carpet in the latter part of the carpet receiving opening to set the adhesive.

7. Apparatus for backing raw tufted carpet according to claim 6, wherein the adhesive applicator comprises:

an extruder for forcing adhesive into the back of the raw tufted carpet; and

an extrusion head attached to the extruder for guiding the adhesive into the back of the raw tufted carpet with the face of the extrusion head from which the adhesive emerges positioned adjacent to the back of the passing raw tufted carpet.

8. Apparatus for backing raw tufted carpet according to claim 7, wherein the face of the extrusion head contains a series of orifices for extruding continuous strips of adhesive.

9. Apparatus for backing raw tufted carpet according to claim 6, which includes:

means in the first part of the carpet receiving opening for breaking the raw tufted carpet, which breaking means is positioned opposite the adhesive applicator thereby placing the back of the raw tufted carpet in a convex configuration at the point the adhesive is applied to the back of the raw tufted carpet.

10. Apparatus for backing raw tufted carpet according to claim 9, wherein the adhesive applicator comprises:

an extruder for forcing adhesive into the back of the raw tufted carpet; and

an extrusion head attached to the extruder for guiding the adhesive into the back of the raw tufted carpet with the face of the extrusion head from which the adhesive emerges positioned adjacent to the back of the passing raw tufted carpet.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,537,946 11/1970 Truax et a1 156-72 2,950,221 8/1960 Bauer et al. 156-500 2,768,671 10/1956 Schock 156-72 3,695,987 10/ 1972 Wisotzsky et al 156-72 3,700,515 10/1972 Terry 156-72 DOUGLAS J. DRUMMOND, Primary Examiner C. WESTDN, Assistant Examiner US. Cl. X.R. 156-494, 500 

